Labour clamps down on intimate image abuse to make the internet safer

The UK Government has made the sharing of intimate pictures without consent a “priority offence” as part of its plans to tackle online sexual offending.

Sharing intimate pictures will now be classed as the most serious type of online offence under the Online Safety Act in a bid to make the internet safer, particularly for women, the government has said.

Currently, more than one in three women in the UK have experienced abuse online, but the government aims to halve this by the end of the decade.

Under the new changes to the law, expected to come into force in spring next year, intimate image abuse will be on the same footing as public order offences and the sale of weapons and drugs online.

Technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “The rise in intimate image abuse online is utterly intolerable. As well as being devastating for victims these crimes have also contributed to the creation of a misogynistic culture on social media that can spread into potentially dangerous relationships offline. We must tackle these crimes from every angle, including their origins online, ensuring tech companies step up and play their part.

"That is why we will classify these vile and cowardly offences as the most severe types of crime under the Online Safety Act. Social media firms will face extra legal obligations – backed up by big fines – to uproot this content from their sites, helping to stop their normalisation and preventing generations becoming desensitised to their damaging effects."

Tech firms will now have to proactively remove this material and work to prevent it from being shared or they could face a fine of up to 10 per cent of their worldwide revenue.

Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “Intimate image abuse is a degrading and deeply misogynistic crime, and we must pull all levers available to us to stamp it out.

“Today’s announcement builds on the progress which has already been made, making it a specific offence to share intimate images online without consent. It also sends a clear message to those companies who turn a blind eye to such heinous content on their platforms – remove it without delay or face the full force of the law.”

Georgia Harrison, journalist and victim of image-based sexual abuse, added: “This new legislation could have shielded me from such exploitation and, more importantly, validated that my voice matters. I earnestly hope tech companies will take this seriously and implement meaningful changes to their algorithms and corporate policies to prevent this type of abuse.

“It is inspiring to see the government taking concrete steps to address the rise in violence against women and girls. Change is imperative, and this is a promising start and I thank them for supporting this crucial cause.”